Interior Design Sense

As a designer, I'm often faced with the "problem piece".  A client wants to go Tuscan in style, but they still have their mother's danish modern buffet in the dining room.  Or maybe they like mid-century, but their last designer convinced them to buy a chesterfield sofa for their living room.  It's not that they hold these pieces in great sentimental value, but they are too high in quality, or they spent too much on them, to just give them away or sell in a garage sale.  Besides, it's not very sustainable to just throw out the old, simply because it doesn't work visually.

Well, there is now a great alternative called Former Furniture.  Created by interior designer Lindsey Dann, Former Furniture is full of stylish items just looking for the right owner.  According to their website…

"Former Furniture is an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of previously owned furniture and exclusive showroom pieces. At Former Furniture, buyers can find a treasure trove of well-priced, beautiful furniture and accessories while sellers can maximize their initial investment by finding a new home for their goods."

Check out just a few of the cute things I found on their site:

A. Rudin chair in "olive" print

Red powder coated vintage industrial side tables

1960's Danish Modern settee

Best of all, the furniture, lighting and accessories on their site have all been personally inspected by Former Furniture, and they will set-up shipping and delivery.  They can even arrange for items to be reupholstered or refinished for you.  Be sure to look towards the bottom of each listing's page to find Lindsey's design tip, tailored to each piece.

 Love it!

I missed this article in The New York Times last month, but it echoes a lot of what I've been thinking about regarding the place of design in a down economy.

Architecture for Humanity is one of my favorite organizations, and if you ever get an opportunity to hear one of its founders, Cameron Sinclair, speak, I highly recommend you give a listen.  You will never see the world and your place in it the same way again.

 I'm excited about their new Challenge, and wanted to share the information.  It is open to EVERYONE, architect and teacher alike, so put on your thinking caps and go make the world a better place!

The 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom is inviting architects, designers, students, teachers and parents to imagine the classroom of the future.

The Open Architecture Challenge is an open, international design competition. It is hosted once every two years on the Open Architecture Network. This year with partner Orient Global, the challenge is focusing on classroom upgrading and design.
Anyone can participate and the winning design will receive $50,000 for their school. To learn more, or to enter the competition, visit: http://www.openarchitecturechallenge.org

I had the pleasure of attending yesterday’s Vanguard University Environmental Sustainability Conference.  I felt honored to be speaking at the same event with several well known Orange County environmental business advocates. Amazing people such as keynote speaker Pierre Andre Senizergues, founder and CEO of Sole Technology, who told amusing tales of seeking sustainability in Chinese factory trash bins, and showed a sobering trailer for The 11th Hour, a film he helped produce.  The other keynote speaker, Shaheen Sadeghi, who owns The Lab and The Camp, had a very compelling presentation on the vast cultural shift that is now occuring, and why it matters. And Martin Deidrich, owner of Kean Coffee, spoke on how to go green as a small business.  I am so addicted to their Turkish Latte!

Along with getting an opportunity to speak, I was given a table at the event, where I was able to set out a small sampling of items that I use in my designs. 

I thought it was a fairly nice display, until I looked over at this…

That’s my good friend, (and local force of nature), Spencer Brown of Earth Friendly Moving, who also gave a very impassioned speech later about the greening of America. I could definitely learn a thing or two from him on making a statement!

I've long been a fan of Kalon Studios modern, sustainable, take on the crib.  Made with vertical grain bamboo, it has great, clean lines, but doesn't feel in the least bit stark or sterile.

The only problem was, there was no way to convert it over to a toddler bed, which didn't make the design all that efficient a use of resources (a bugbear of mine). So I was very happy to see that they have finally released a cute toddler conversion kit, every bit as stylish as the crib.

Now, if only they would come up with a bed for grownups!

This sink has to be one of my all time favorite installations for a client.  

 Created by Stone Forest, it has a zen like simplicity, as well as a rough naturalism that I find very appealing.  It reminds me of one of my favorite local hiking areas, the Santa Rosa Plateau, where you can spot ancient Native American grinding stones along the trails.

I once had fantasies that I could set up an outdoor office, where I could smell the flowers and listen to the birds sing, all while setting up amazing Power Point presentations and winging off emails to clients and vendors.  Well, the sun is glaring, the dog is making sure the flowers don't grow, and the local mockingbird has a nasty habit of imitating car alarms, so I never quite got my wish.

 I think many of us are in the same boat.  We'd like to spend less time stuck in our offices, but necessity sometimes doesn't allow that.  For one client though, even if we can't create an outdoor office, we can at least bring a little of the blue skies her way.

Here's Jillian, of Jillian Blaine Decorative Painting, adding one of the final touches to a beautiful indoor sky.

Most modern minimalist homes do away with fireplaces or believe that they are a tradition of the past that do not fir into the sleek, slender and futuristic design of today. One look at the collection of contemporary fireplaces dished out by the Belgian designers from MetalFire and it will set your pulse racing and you adrenaline pumping with delight. Simply flawless and stunning in an understated fashion, they epitomize everything that stands for space-age style. They amalgamate seamlessly into any modern living room and add multitude of warmth, charm and seductive beauty to the room. Take one look and your perception of fireplaces will be altered forever as you scurry around to find one akin to these. – via

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Modern Fireplaces from MetalFire: Sizzling fashion with scorching hot design

The trend in designing homes these days seems to be excessive usage of glass, which brings in a whole new dimension to the surrounding space. But defying the convention of contemporary design, the Warringah House looks as modern as any other lavish present-day home by just using loads of timber and sandstone with elegant ease. In what is a visually grand sight, the home sports skylights for natural ventilation, a stunning patio with swimming pool and spacious interiors that look simply seductive. Ergonomic design along with appropriate art work here and there only seems to enhance the grandeur of the structure. Charming and soothing, Warringah House is a treat to the senses. – via

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Warringah House: Exquisite design and exotic appeal

It is not very often that architects blend in the modern with traditional in such a hot and sizzling fashion as the Ch House in La Garriga. The stunning home draws from the old-age charm by using wood and a modern minimalist touch with white and grey shades. The blend of both techniques along with simple interiors, extensive use of glass and lavish utilization of space, makes the home truly gorgeous. TClosed on sides and opens into a central garden surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows, every spot merges perfectly with the surroundings and accentuates the structur’s beauty. – via

This is a post from the Freshome Magazine, who bring you the latest news in Interior Design, Decorating, Furniture and Architecture.

Ch House: Brilliant blend of the contemporary and the classic!